FCC invites carriers to test wireline-to-IP migration

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has invited US carriers to start testing the process of migrating customers away from copper wireline infrastructure to IP-based networks. The agency has called for interested parties to trial ‘IP-based alternatives to existing services in discrete geographic areas or situations’. Proposals are due by 20 February, followed by a public comment and reply period ending on 31 March. The final decision on the proposals will be made at the FCC’s May meeting. The watchdog’s move comes after Verizon’s post-Hurricane Sandy decision not to replace wireline infrastructure in Fire Island, New York; the network was submerged by corrosive salt water and deemed impractical to replace.